


The Adventures of James the Amazing Sniper

by windsweptfic



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Fluff, Gen, Humor, Physical and Emotional De-Ageing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-11
Updated: 2014-02-11
Packaged: 2018-01-11 23:23:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1179169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/windsweptfic/pseuds/windsweptfic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bucky gets temporarily de-aged. Hijinks happen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Adventures of James the Amazing Sniper

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [this prompt](http://capkink.livejournal.com/810.html?thread=404266#t404266) at capkink:
> 
> _Either Bucky or Steve get de-aged. I want cute fluffyness with maybe a bit of angst somewhere._  
>  Either one can be de-aged  
> It can be movie or comic verse  
> It can be slash or gen
> 
> _I just need more of the de-aged trope in my life._

"Steve?"

Steve skidded to a halt amidst his frantic searching through the factory wreckage, spinning around at the sound of a small voice. Bucky had been in the building when it had exploded, somewhere in the vicinity of the laboratories, and the thought of losing him had Steve shaking in fear. He had his gun partly raised before he saw who was speaking and froze, staring blankly at the eight-year-old boy standing in front of him. 

The kid was covered head to toe in some kind of viscous purple goop from one of the broken vats, dark hair plastered against his forehead and bright blue eyes looking up at Steve unhappily. He was wearing a blue uniform jacket that was about ten sizes too big—

And eerily familiar.

Steve's jaw dropped open as the kid's naggingly familiar features finally dawned.

"Oh my god."

"Tell me about it," Bucky said miserably.

  


* * *

  


"Can we _keep_ him?" 

Bucky scowled from his perch in Steve's lap, the expression coming off as more of a sullen pout than anything. One small foot was in Steve's hand as he gently wrapped gauze around it, dressing the cuts from when Bucky had stepped on broken glass in the factory.

"I still know how to use a rifle, Dugan," he warned, voice high-pitched and petulant. "And even if I can't reach the trigger I can always use it to bash your head in while you're sleeping."

Dugan stared.

"Christ that is disturbing to hear coming out of a kid's mouth."

Bucky bared his teeth at him.

  


* * *

  


"We're going to need to go back to base," Morita pointed out. Steve nodded in absent agreement as he tucked strips of cloth around a piece of rubber cannibalized from one of Bucky's boots. He used them to create makeshift shoes for the newly-miniaturized Bucky, slipping his feet beneath the cloth and tying them around his ankles.

"Stark will be our best bet. If anyone can figure out what to do, he'll be the one."

Bucky raised his head, eyes wide and unhappy, his lower lip caught between his teeth. The Commandos who weren't wise enough to look away stared helplessly; Steve himself was caught head-on by the pleading, puppy-eyed gaze.

"We can't abandon the mission," Bucky said. "I can just--I'll stay here, you can go out and complete it. I'll be fine."

"You wouldn't be able to defend yourself if anyone came," Steve replied, voice strained. "We have to go. We need to get back to base."

The words were forced out with a degree of finality, and the rest of the Commandos relaxed a little, relieved that Steve was going to take the lead on this one.

Then Bucky started to cry and they all exploded into action in the way only trained military men could: each of them scrambling to find some way to keep the miserable expression off of Bucky's young face.

  


* * *

  


Steve won, in the end.

Bucky made it very clear that he was Not Happy, not looking at or even speaking to Steve when they ate breakfast the following day. He refused to let Steve carry him, latching onto Falsworth instead, and spent the entire morning trek sulking. It had the effect of making Steve despondent and overall made for a quiet walk, no one daring to bring the subject up.

When they stopped for lunch, Steve sat down by Bucky, despite the boy's very pointed stance on ignoring him. Without a word, Steve passed over the piece of chocolate from his rations.

Bucky took it obligingly, and when they packed up again, he raised his arms to Steve and allowed himself to be picked up. He snuggled against Steve's chest and immediately fell asleep, all apparently forgiven.

To a man, the rest of the Commandos exhaled a sigh of relief.

  


* * *

  


Steve awoke to soft, stifled whimpers and cursed himself for a fool. 

He was up instantly, crawling across the ground to the other side of the tent, where Bucky was curled up in his sleeping bag. He barely stirred when Steve slipped inside with him, keeping his face tucked away. Steve wrapped his arms around Bucky's small form and pulled him protectively against his chest, stroking his hair softly.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I forgot you didn't like thunderstorms."

He didn't said 'afraid' because even as a kid Bucky had never been afraid, denying it to the end. 

After a few minutes Bucky mustered the courage to roll over, burying his face in Steve's chest; letting himself be soothed to sleep by the soft beat of Steve's heart beneath his ear.

  


* * *

  


Howard couldn't stop laughing.

Steve waited patiently as the engineer leaned on his desk, gasping for air as he struggled to breathe through the bouts of laughter. Bucky's small hand was clasped in Steve's own, and one of the nurses had managed to sew something together that would fit him, but he still looked like a lost waif. As Steve waited Bucky's displeasure grew, and after a while he let go of Steve's hand, walked over to Howard, and very deliberately kicked him in the shin. 

The laughing stopped and turned into a howl of pain, which Steve didn't find much better. But it made Bucky smirk for the rest of the day, which he supposed was a win.

  


* * *

  


Two weeks later Steve awoke to a very adult body tucked against his own, Bucky's breath soft against his neck. He shifted beneath the arm slung over his chest and Bucky mumbled softly, voicing something to do with snuggly-bear and the adventures of James the Amazing Sniper.

Steve smiled, closed his eyes, and went back to sleep.


End file.
